Many residential and commercial sites use automatic watering systems to water the landscaping around the site. As used herein, “landscaping” means grass, plants, trees and other vegetation which may be planted around the site. The use of landscaping generally increases the value of the property. Hence, it is important to keep the landscaping nicely manicured.
Most sites generally use irrigation or a sprinkle system to water the surrounding landscaping. Conventional irrigation systems basically flood the area where the landscaping is located. Irrigation generally tends to over water the landscaping and thus waste water which may be used for other purposes. Thus, the cost to the consumer and the water supply may be substantial in areas that use irrigation systems.
Sprinkler systems generally rely on time of day controllers or manual controls that switch the sprinklers on and off. Manual controls are cumbersome since an individual must go to the controls and activate the sprinkler system every time one wishes to water the landscaping. The individual must then go back to the controls to deactivate the sprinkler systems once the landscaping is properly watered.
Time of day controllers also have problems. Time of day controllers will automatically activate the sprinkler system at a given time. Thus, even if the landscaping is already adequately watered, the time of day controller will automatically activate the sprinklers during that predetermined time frame. Thus, water is wasted which could be used for other purposes. This is especially problematic in areas where the weather is unpredictable and experience adequate rainfall to water the landscape. Unless one is available to manually turn off the time of day controller when it rains, the sprinkler system will water the landscaping during the rain storm, resulting in wasting of water.
Water management and conservation are a major concern these days. Builders are increasingly under pressure to build water-smart homes with irrigation/sprinkler systems designed to eliminate runoff potential, limit/minimize ornamental water features, install low water use landscaping, and incorporating irrigation/sprinkler systems that conserve water. Commercial sites are also required to audit and meet minimum water efficiency standards.
Therefore, there remains a need for a watering system that overcomes the above problems. The watering system must overcome the problems associated with prior art watering systems.